Global payment group Zepz has officially ventured into the world of cryptocurrency-backed transactions with its recent launch of stablecoin-linked Visa cards. Through a partnership with stablecoin orchestration platform Bridge, this development highlights how stablecoins are moving from niche usage into mainstream financial operations. It’s an exciting evolution for anyone involved in fintech, cross-border payments, and remittance-focused businesses.
What’s Happening?
On December 2, 2025, Zepz, known as the parent company behind payment services WorldRemit and Sendwave, announced the integration of stablecoin-linked Visa cards into their Sendwave Wallet. This wallet, launched in October 2025, already aimed to simplify financial interactions for globally dispersed users. With these new cards, users can now hold stablecoins, transact globally, and enjoy the convenience of everyday payments at Visa-enabled merchants, all while maintaining the stability of their funds.
These transactions will leverage Bridge’s infrastructure, which ensures seamless conversion from stablecoins to local currencies at the point of payment. This means Sendwave Wallet users can shop anywhere Visa is accepted without worrying about financial volatility or local currency exchange complexities.
Why It Matters for Entrepreneurs
For entrepreneurs dealing in global markets, volatile currencies, or underserved customer bases, this move offers significant advantages. Stablecoin-backed payments bridge the gap between digital assets and traditional finance, enabling faster, smoother cross-border interactions.
Traditional banking systems often lag when dealing with international payments, especially in emerging markets. Using tools like the Sendwave Wallet eliminates much of that friction. Entrepreneurs can hold funds in stablecoins, ensuring their value remains consistent, while still being able to spend with ease using the linked Visa cards.
The Mechanics Behind the Card
Here’s what’s under the hood:
- Stablecoin Support: Transactions are backed by stablecoins pegged to the US dollar, avoiding the wild fluctuations often associated with cryptocurrencies.
- Real-Time Conversion: When a purchase is made, Bridge facilitates instant conversion to the local fiat currency, ensuring that merchants receive payment in their native format.
- Global Reach: These cards work in any Visa-accepting location globally, making them particularly valuable for digital nomads and businesses operating in multiple countries.
Zepz isn’t just tapping into stablecoins. They’re aligning this product with major blockchain players like Solana for speed and Circle’s USDC token for reliability, ensuring a solid technological and operational framework.
5 Common Mistakes Businesses Make When Using Stablecoins for Payments
- Skipping Due Diligence on Stablecoin Security: Not all stablecoins are created equal. Always verify the backing and credibility of the token you’re working with.
- Ignoring Regulatory Changes: Stablecoin compliance differs across jurisdictions. Keep an eye on updates in your primary operation regions.
- Underusing Payment Tools: These cards aren’t just for convenience, they can also serve as a way to pay overseas vendors or reduce FX costs. Don’t leave these benefits untapped!
- Failing to Educate Teams: Employees or stakeholders unfamiliar with stablecoins might resist adoption. A quick walkthrough could solve this barrier.
- Overreliance on Stablecoins: Treat them as a complementary tool. Diversifying across payment systems can protect your business from potential disruptions.
Use Case: Sendwave Wallet and Card in Action
Imagine a small clothing retailer in Lagos importing materials from suppliers in India. Traditionally, paying suppliers involved hefty cross-border banking fees and long transaction wait times. With Zepz’s stablecoin-backed wallet and card, payments convert seamlessly via stablecoins at lightning speed.
For freelancers, this could mean holding payments in stablecoins and withdrawing in local currency when needed, useful for managing income stability while servicing international clients.
Industry Insights and Competitive Context
Zepz’s launch comes at a time of notable acceleration for stablecoin adoption. Visa itself has committed to supporting stablecoin transactions extensively, reportedly processing over $140 billion in crypto and stablecoin flows since 2020. They’ve also introduced more than 130 stablecoin-linked card programs globally, cementing their role as a pivotal player integrating blockchain-based solutions into existing payment infrastructures.
Beyond this, the timing of Stripe’s acquisition of Bridge for $1.1 billion in 2024 highlights how traditional payment processors are racing to establish dominance in this space. Zepz leveraging Bridge isn’t just clever, it’s strategic positioning, combining blockchain-backed transactions with Visa’s ubiquity.
How You Can Start
- Activate the Wallet: Begin by signing up for the Sendwave Wallet online and linking your funds. This gives you access to Zepz’s global payments feature while holding secure, stablecoin-backed value.
- Get the Card: Once linked to your wallet, apply for the card to make stablecoin-backed payments at Visa-accepting merchants.
- Test Cross-Border Payments: Try using the wallet to pay international vendors or freelancers to save on time and costs.
This is practical for small businesses, solopreneurs, or digital entrepreneurs looking for reliable and cost-effective solutions across borders.
Final Thoughts
For entrepreneurs, this innovation isn’t just about payments, it’s about empowerment. With stablecoin technology, Zepz and Bridge are equipping businesses with the tools to navigate global transactions without the traditional headaches of fees, delays, or instability. It’s an opportunity to rethink how we view finance, especially in markets where conventional banking has left gaps.
If you’re juggling international transactions or searching for a more predictable payment system, diving into stablecoin-backed solutions might be your next smart move. Explore these platforms, learn the ins and outs, and let this technology ease your operations, not complicate them. Find out more about stablecoin-backed cards and the Sendwave Wallet through Zepz’s official announcements.
FAQ
1. What is Zepz and what role does it play in fintech?
Zepz is a global payments group leading innovative solutions in remittance and cross-border transactions. It operates platforms like WorldRemit and Sendwave, offering tools for seamless money transfers worldwide. Learn more about Zepz launches Sendwave Wallet
2. What are stablecoin-linked Visa cards and how do they work?
Stablecoin-linked Visa cards allow users to purchase goods and services using stablecoins, with real-time conversion into fiat currency at merchants. This ensures smooth transactions and usability across Visa’s network. Learn more about Visa and Bridge stablecoin integration
3. What is the Sendwave Wallet and its purpose?
The Sendwave Wallet is a digital tool designed for storing, transferring, and spending stablecoins globally, simplifying cross-border transactions and financial management. Discover Sendwave Wallet capabilities
4. How does Bridge technology enhance these transactions?
Bridge enables seamless conversion of stablecoins into fiat currency in real-time for merchants, ensuring ease of use and overcoming currency exchange complexities. Check out Bridge’s stablecoin functions with Visa
5. Why are stablecoins beneficial for cross-border payments?
Stablecoins offer consistent value pegged to fiat currencies and enable faster, cheaper transactions, bypassing the limitations of traditional banking systems. Understand stablecoin advantages
6. How has Visa been integrating stablecoins into its operations?
Visa has been rapidly advancing its stablecoin-linked technologies, processing billions in crypto flows and issuing over 130 stablecoin-linked card programs. Learn more about Visa’s stablecoin initiatives
7. What role does Stripe play in the stablecoin-powered ecosystem?
Stripe acquired Bridge to enhance its infrastructure around stablecoin payments, allowing fintech developers to launch programs quickly and efficiently. Explore Stripe’s acquisition of Bridge
8. What markets does Zepz intend to target with its stablecoin-linked Visa cards?
Zepz aims to expand its stablecoin Visa card offerings into markets like the United States, Canada, and Australia to reach broader communities. Discover Zepz’s market ambitions
9. In what way can these cards transform payment systems for entrepreneurs?
Stablecoin-linked Visa cards provide an efficient way to manage payments for international clients and suppliers, reducing FX costs and improving transaction reliability. Learn how stablecoins benefit businesses
10. What technological partners are involved in making these cards operational?
Zepz collaborates with Circle for USDC stablecoins, blockchain platform Solana for scalability, and Bridge for conversion systems, ensuring secure and reliable operations. Discover the technology powering stablecoin cards
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp’s expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the “gamepreneurship” methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic “without any funding and without any code,” this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call “gamepreneurship”. By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique “play to learn and earn” model.
